Stakeholders especially key sports writers and notable ex internationals and analysts have started reacting to the prestige international friendly match between Nigeria and Argentina on June 1, with the common consensus being that a tough match was in the offing.

Dubbed the Big Match by sponsors, Guinness Nigeria Plc, some experts polled said that Nigerian football would benefit from the game. Tony Ubani, Sports Editor, Vanguard Media Limited, said that it was incumbent on the Super Eagles to win the match on home soil.

Whoever wears the jersey of Argentina represents Argentina. It is for us to win the match. The fact that we are playing them, exposing our players, our players getting to play with high quality players, that alone would allow the coach to mould a better team for the future’

Ben Alaya, GM/Editor In – Chief, Sportsday, noted that ‘Argentina is like Nigeria, too many super stars everywhere, so I regard that the  team that they are coming with  to Abuja is their team ‘A’ and so we must all go out to defeat Argentina and record victory over them’

Former Super Eagles player, Toyin Ayinla, said ‘If you look at Messi, he plays  well any time is playing for his club side, but at the national team, he doesn’t  because the pattern they are playing at the club side is quite different from that of the national team.

I don’t know if a lot of people will reason with me that way, therefore we may not feel his impact that much. All we know is that we want to take a pound of flesh’

Also speaking, Mutiu Adepoju, said the absence of Lionel Messi was not going to affect the quality of the game.
‘It is not going to affect the game. Argentina have very good players all over Europe and in Argentina too and so l do not think it is going to affect.